August 16 – 18, 2024
Since the beginning of the year, we have been carefully preparing our first independent hiking campaign in Slovenia. It is an action to mark the first year of work of our young hiking section, and it coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Triglav National Park.
Not only that, our member Olga Sošnja celebrated her 50th anniversary of her first climb to Mt. Triglav. Ivan and I also celebrated our first anniversary of our the climb to Mt. Triglav.
So many significant anniversaries, but for our small group: Bernarda, Dario, Ivana, two Olgas and two Ljiljanas, Zdenka and our section leader Ivan, the most important was to experience the beauty of the far-famed Valley of the Seven Triglav Lakes.
We didn't leave anything to chance, accommodation was booked already in February. We collected information on the internet, how to get to the starting points, where the parking is, how much the tolls are, what to bring, etc. The biggest challenge was the weather forecast, which wasn't exactly in our favor. At the meeting, we agreed on everything and the decision was made to go.
We rented a van, Ivan was the driver, and already at two o'clock, early in the morning, we picked up the cheerful passengers one by one and headed for the border. Everything went flawlessly, there was no traffic on the road on Friday. After the first refreshment in Slovenia, we continued our journey towards Bled and Bohinj and the mountain Blato (1147 m). There was a huge crowd on Blato Mountain and we barely found a place to park. We put on our boots, strapped our heavy backpacks on our backs, and started up the hill around 10:30. Backpacks were pressing us, it wasn't easy, but we didn't hesitate, we climbed up the hill. The weather was beautiful, just right. We looked at the proud pine trees that stuck up, the peaks of the mountains that rose above them, illuminated by the sun, and we absorbed that beauty. Our legs went by themselves and in an hour we reached Koča on the mountain by the lake (1453 m). When we came out of the forest and saw a home full of flowers, lit by the sun, and cows grazing around it, we had to stop to admire that extraordinary beauty. After a short break, we had to move on. Half an hour's walk away was the Dedno polje mountain. These were cottages located in a sunny valley at the foot of the mountain peaks. We continued our journey towards Ovčarija. We were about halfway there. We went to Koča near seven lakes (1685 m) via Prodovo, where the landscape was like a fairy tale. The path was rocky and steep and we had to be very careful. We reached our destination in two and a half hours. First we saw the Twin Lake and we couldn't resist, we headed towards the lake, we rested and put our tired feet in the water with pleasure. The peaks of Tičarica reflected in the lake. There was a lodge next to the lake, which was swarming with mountaineers like a beehive. Already a bit tired, we ate something, agreed to start walking in the morning at half past 7 and went to sleep full of impressions.
The team was united, rested, in a good mood, and we were all ready to leave as agreed. The morning was clear. We decided to leave early, as we had rain as forecast for afternoon. The trail was not demanding, we moved slowly, without hurry, enjoying the valley surrounded by rocky mountain peaks. In front of us appeared an imposing lake in all its beauty, and the water overflowed in a spectrum of green color from pale green, through turquoise to emerald green. It was the Great Lake or as it is called Jezero v Ledvicah. Due to the predicted rain, we did not go down to the lake, we continued our journey. Another small climb and we were approaching Koča na Prehodavci (2071 m). Sunlit, on a hill surrounded by mountain peaks, a scene like from a fairy tale. Approaching the house, we noticed the message "If you are a mountaineer, put the trash in your backpack". We decided to enjoy this beauty a little longer. The lodge on Prehodavci is located at 2071 m. We returned to the lodge around three o’clock and while we were eating delicious mushroom soup it started to rain. We were really lucky. We played rummy after lunch and spent the afternoon socializing. When the rain stopped we walked around the Twin Lakes. The agreement was to leave early again in the morning. Despite the light rain in the morning, the clean ten team set off back as planned. Soonafter, the sun appeared again and accompanied us to the van. We quickly changed clothes and set off to visit first Bohinj, and then Bled.
On Bohinj, many people bathed in the lake, which was pleasant for swimming. In Bled, of course, we had to try the Bled cream cake. Everyone agreed that this was a memorable event. New ideas for the next action were already being born.
Ljiljana Memon
